Cars are the problem not bikes
Miranda Devine published an incendiary opinion piece attacking cyclists in the Sydney Morning Herald on Thursday. It was in response to an incident involving a cyclist riding a busway. In that incident the cyclist may have been in the wrong, but she used it as a starting to point to launch an all out war of words on cyclists.Devine has followed up with a slightly more balanced piece today. However, she stills fails to recognise that the root of traffic problems is too many cars. Conflict between cyclists and car drivers arises because of this point.
It seems that rants against cyclists in the Australian media are not uncommon. Last month it was comedian Magda Szubanski who unleashed a verbal tirade against cyclists (link to news article with video) on the TV program Good News Week. She later apologised for what she said. However, the fact that she openly advocated violence against cyclists was absolutely unacceptable. Imagine if homosexuals or Aborigines had been the target of her rant rather than cyclists. It would have certainly meant the end of her career.
Unfortunately there are some cyclists out there who flout road rules and act aggressively. However, there are many more car drivers that also behave similarly. The difference is cars can easily kill, and cyclists are especially vulnerable.
Governments need to not only invest in infrastructure that makes the road safer for cyclists. They need to develop policies that actively reduce the number of cars on the road. Car drivers can also take responsibility by reducing their car use and using public transport, walking or getting on a bike. If more car drivers rode bikes perhaps there would be greater sympathy for the difficult road conditions cyclists face rather than blame shifting, hostility and aggression.
posted by David @ 6:45 PM
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